Can I Sharpen My Own Knives?
Short answer
Yes. You can sharpen your own knives.
Most people probably shouldn’t.
Why people want to do it themselves
Sharpening looks simple:
- A stone
- Some water
- A honing rod
- A few YouTube videos
And it’s true — with enough time, you can improve a dull knife.
But maintaining a knife properly over years is very different from making it “better than dull” once.
Honing rods don’t actually sharpen
Honing rods are widely misunderstood.
A rod:
- Realigns a rolled edge
- Does not remove meaningful steel
- Does not re-establish the primary bevel
They are maintenance tools, not sharpening tools.
Once the edge is worn, fatigued, or rounded, a rod can no longer help — no matter how much pressure you use.
Pull-through sharpeners damage knives
Pull-through devices are popular because they’re fast and cheap.
They are also:
- Extremely aggressive
- Fixed-angle, if your knife doesn’t match the angle of the sharpener it won’t be a great fit
- Unforgiving
They tend to:
- Remove excessive steel
- Chip or tear edges
- Create thick, short-lived bevels
- Permanently degrade knife geometry
- Scratch your knife
They do make knives feel sharp — briefly — at the expense of the knife’s long-term health.
Whetstones have a steep learning curve
Sharpening on stones looks elegant, but it is not intuitive.
To do it well, you must control:
- Angle
- Pressure
- Stroke consistency
- Burr formation and removal
Each knife requires hundreds of strokes, each one an opportunity for error.
Most home sharpening problems don’t show up immediately. They show up months or years later as:
- Thick edges
- Rounded tips
- Uneven bevels
- Poor edge retention
The knife still cuts — just not like it should.
Time vs outcome
A careful DIY session often takes:
- 30–60 minutes per knife
- Multiple stones
- Setup, soaking, flattening, cleanup
In that same time, you could:
- Drop your knives at Danforth Knife Sharpening
- Run an errand
- Have them done properly
- Pick them up ready to cook
For most people, sharpening isn’t a skill they want — it’s a result they want.
When DIY sharpening makes sense
Sharpening your own knives can be reasonable if:
- You enjoy the process
- You accept inconsistent results
- You’re practicing on inexpensive knives
- You treat it as a hobby
That’s valid.
When it doesn’t
DIY sharpening is usually a poor choice if:
- You own good knives
- You value edge retention
- You want predictable performance
- You don’t want to spend years learning
This isn’t about capability. It’s about opportunity cost.
Our approach at Danforth Knife Sharpening
We sharpen knives all day, every day.
That repetition allows us to:
- Maintain consistent geometry
- Minimize steel removal
- Restore proper bevels
- Optimize edges for real-world kitchens
We’re not faster because we’re careless.
We’re faster because we have top tier equipment, experience of tens of thousands of knives, and the experience of a steady hand and detailed eye.
Bottom line
Yes, you can sharpen your own knives.
If you care about your knives, your time, and consistent results — you probably shouldn’t.
